After 53 years, NASCAR makes Bobby Allison's Bowman Gray victory official
NASCAR legend Bobby Allison has officially been made the winner of the 1971 Myers Brother Memorial 250 at Bowman Gray Stadium, a race that went without a winner listed until Wednesday. The decision gives Allison 85 career Cup Series victories, moving him to fourth on the all-time wins list.
The Athletic reporter Jeff Gluck took to his personal X account to share the news. The racing insider said it will satisfy almost everyone in the NASCAR world.
"NASCAR news that will make (almost) everyone happy: After 53 years, NASCAR has officially recognized Bobby Allison as the winner of the disputed 1971 Bowman Gray race. He now has 85 wins."
Originally, Allison received the trophy for a first-place effort that day in 1971 after outlasting Richard Petty, who finished second. However, controversy stemmed before that race as NASCAR announced that the Cup Series, formerly the Grand National Series, would combine with the Grand American Series to run the same race for six races in 1971, starting with Bowman Gray.
This sparked displeasure from the Grand National teams as they felt the Grand American teams had an advantage. Allison, driving a Grand American car, won the 250-lap event without having to make a pit stop, leading to criticism from Grand National drivers, including Petty, that Allison's win shouldn't count. When speaking to reporters after the race, Petty said:
“If we’re running Grand National races, let’s run Grand National cars. If we’re running Grand American races, let’s run Grand American cars.”
Because of the controversy, officials ruled there wouldn't be a winner of the Bowman Gray race, therefore Allison wasn't credited with the victory. The conversation to restore Allison's victory was sparked after NASCAR announced the circuit would return to Bowman Gray Stadium for the annual Clash Exhibition race next year. NASCAR CEO Jim France said in a statement:
“For 53 years, the Myers Brothers Memorial was the only race run by NASCAR that did not have an official winner. As we began preparations for the upcoming Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, the topic of the race returned to the forefront. We felt it was the right thing to officially recognize Bobby‘s win and honor him as an 85-time NASCAR Cup Series winner. We are grateful for Bobby‘s lifetime contributions to NASCAR.”
France and NASCAR vice chairman Mike Helton informed the 1983 Cup Series champion of the news. Allison was tied with Darrell Waltrip for fourth on the all-time list with 84 wins prior to the decision. Now, Allison is in sole possession of fourth place with 85 wins.
NASCAR once overturned Denny Hamlin's victory at Pocono
It isn't new for NASCAR to make a ruling that affects the winner of a race, as that happened to Denny Hamlin in July 2022. After originally taking the checkered flag at Pocono, Hamlin and second-place finisher Kyle Busch were disqualified after failing post-race inspection, resulting in Chase Elliott being the winner.
"Chase Elliott is declared the #NASCAR Cup winner at Pocono after the top two cars of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch each failed inspection after the race," Dustin Long posted on X.
The win marked the 17th victory of Elliott's career after originally finishing third in the race. For Hamlin, it would've been the 49th win of his career had it stood.